CNM Celebrates Its 60th Anniversary

Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) has come a long way since opening as Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute -- or TVI as it was fondly known -- on July 1, 1965. The first semester launched with 150 students and a few programs like Carpentry, Automotive Repair, and Healthcare Occupations. For the 60 years since, CNM has been empowering students for life-changing careers, preparing students for transfers to universities, and delivering a skilled workforce to help power businesses and our economy into the future.

Today, CNM serves 33,000 students per year through 150 academic and workforce training programs. Since 2009, CNM has been serving the state’s largest undergraduate student body.

While CNM remains firmly committed to its roots in trades and career technical education that were planted in 1965, CNM has continued to evolve with the times and technology, providing our community members and students with options spanning all sectors of our economy, from the skilled trades to STEM to healthcare to business, and everything in between.

While much has changed over the last 60 years, the core purpose of the institution has remained consistent – providing affordable access to higher education and workforce training that lead students to life-changing careers while supporting the economic development needs of central New Mexico with high-quality programming.

Guided by our values of Be Caring, Be Connected, Be Courageous, Be Ethical, Be Exceptional, and Be Inspiring, CNM looks forward to continually evolving and advancing our vision of “Changing Lives, Building Community” for another 60 years and beyond.

Some Key Moments in CNM’s History:

• CNM officially opened as Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute (TVI) on July 1, 1965, with 150 students. TVI was originally governed by the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education.
• The first programs in 1965 included Automotive Repair, Carpentry, Electronics, Machine Trades, Silversmithing, Health Occupations, Groundskeeper, Clerical Occupations and Sales Occupations.
• Louis E. Saavedra was named the first “principal” of TVI in 1965. He was named TVI President in 1979, when TVI became independent of APS and a TVI Governing Board was elected.
• Saavedra was elected Mayor of Albuquerque in 1989, serving one term.
• CNM’s first permanent building was the former University Heights Elementary School. It’s now called the Louis E. Saavedra Administration Building, housing the President’s Office and other administrative offices, on Main Campus. It’s currently under renovation and will reopen in the fall.
• In 1978, CNM was accredited by the North Central Association of Schools.
• In 1986, the New Mexico Legislature authorized then-TVI to grant associate degrees, allowing CNM to become a full-fledged community college.
• In 2006, the school’s name was changed to Central New Mexico Community College to better reflect the breadth of offerings and its service area.
• In 2007, an election was held to bring all of Rio Rancho into the CNM District. The measure passed. As a result, the Rio Rancho Campus opened in 2010. Previously, CNM’s District mirrored the APS District.
• CNM, Albuquerque Public Schools and the University of New Mexico signed a historic agreement in 2008 to partner on a level never seen before in the state. It’s led to tremendous growth in dual credit opportunities for high school students and a much more seamless transfer process between CNM and UNM.
• Undergraduate enrollment surpassed the University of New Mexico for the first time in 2009, when CNM became the largest institution of higher education in the state in terms of undergraduate enrollment. It has maintained that designation each year since.
• Enrollment at CNM hit an all-time high for a Fall Term in 2010, reaching 30,000 students.
• In April 2013, CNM receives the national Student Success Award from the American Association of Community Colleges for its increases in graduation and its innovative student support model called CNM Connect. AACC represents 1,000-plus 2-year colleges.
• In partnership with APS, CNM and APS open a dual credit high school in fall 2013 on CNM’s Main Campus, the College & Career High School.
• In 2014, CNM creates CNM Ingenuity, Inc., a non-profit entity formed under the New Mexico Research Park Act. It provides accelerated and customized workforce training pathways in key areas for the local economy; entrepreneurial development programs; and strategic partnerships that advance economic development and job creation.
• In 2014, CNM Ingenuity’s STEMulus Center opened in Downtown Albuquerque, providing accelerated education opportunities and a Business Accelerator. The first program was the 10-week Deep Dive Coding Bootcamp, a first-of-its-kind bootcamp for a community college. It’s success has spawned an array of 10- and 12-week Deep Dive technology bootcamps leading directly to high-demand, high-quality jobs in the local economy, without requiring prerequisites.
• For the past 10 years, according to U.S. Department of Education statistics, CNM has consistently ranked in the top five among nearly 900 community colleges for the number of associate degrees and certificates earned by Hispanics and Native Americans, and among the top 10 for total associate degrees and certificates earned. In the most recent Department of Education stats available, CNM is No. 1 for the number of associate degrees and certificates earned by Native American and Hispanic students. CNM is No. 2 for total associate degrees and certificates earned.
• In 2017, FUSE Makerspace moves to a 13,000-square-foot space on the Innovate ABQ property at Broadway and Central. FUSE provides high-tech equipment used by community members and entrepreneurs to manufacture works of art and business prototypes with machinery like 3D printers, welders, laser cutters, lathes, CNC plasma cutters, and much more.
• In 2019, CNM was one of five founding community colleges that helped launch Unmudl, a national Skills-to-Jobs Marketplace that connects working learners to low-cost, short-term training that’s in high-demand by employers. Today, 15 community colleges partner with 130 employers to develop workforce pipelines.
• In 2021, CNM is one of four New Mexico colleges to join the Collaborative for Higher Education Shared Services (CHESS). Today there are six member colleges in CHESS, which is transforming higher education in New Mexico through the sharing of state-of-the-art technology systems.
• In December 2022, CNM and CHESS-member colleges launch a shared Workday Enterprise Resource Planning technology platform. CHESS colleges now share the same state-of-the-art technology and have the same processes for all finance, human resources, payroll, and other administrative functions.
• In 2023, CHESS colleges begin the process of implementing a shared Workday technology platform for students, which will greatly improve and simplify the student experience in areas like recruitment, admissions, registration, advising, financial aid, course scheduling, transfer, and more. It’s scheduled to fully go live in 2027.
• In July 2024, CNM named the technician workforce training lead for Elevate Quantum, a consortium of organizations in New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming committed to making the Mountain West the global leader in quantum innovation and workforce development. Elevate Quantum received $127 million in funding, spurred by a U.S. Department of Commerce designation as a Tech Hub. CNM’s Quantum Technician Bootcamp, the first of its kind in the country, will launch in July 2025.
• In April 2025, a groundbreaking partnership between CNM and Rio Rancho Public Schools leads to the grand opening celebration of RioTECH, a career technical education high school where students take CNM trades and CTE classes that count for both high school and college credit.
• In August 2025, CNM will open the new Ted Chavez Trades and Technologies Center on Main Campus, a 60,000-square-foot facility that represents CNM’s strong commitment to trades education and training, which has been rooted in CNM’s mission since opening in 1965.